Among all that is going on in the world this seems... Smaller. It was no dream of gods and what they were up to. But it left just a sour of a feeling in Aquila's stomach. That woman, Pyra... Was being sold. He was distraught thinking back on it, and he was driven to pacing back and forth through the Brook without a clue what to do. He decided he had to tell @Cassandra. Maybe she's heard something too, or maybe together they can figure out something to do going forwards. At the very least the Valour needed to know what new black mark had been cast on their homelands. They had to know there were lions out there who might desperately need help.

His pacing becomes determined and he cuts off the path he's worn to go find the High Sovereign._{ART — CODE}

She had been busy patrolling the borders of the Brook, trying to stretch her legs. Now that the weather was getting colder, she wanted to make certain that the borders of the Brook were clearly marked to try to deter anyone not of the Brook or their allies from crossing without hesitating at the very least. The young Queen had been so focused on her task at paw and deep in her own thoughts that she had missed her uncle pacing back and forth within the Brook itself.

So when he appeared out of the depths of the territory, Cassandra almost ran into him she was so lost in thought with her border patrolling. "Uncle @Aquila - is everything okay?" She asked, noting the unhappy look on her uncle's face, and his unusually somber demeanor that he had. Something was definitely up - and she wasn't sure what was going on. Was something wrong with his family in some way?

OOC: SO sorry for the delay on this! It got buried in my alerts

text. "speech."

Art by flea | Table code by Zodiac

I met this young woman, younger than you I think. Making that statement and comparison hurt him just a bit. In another life, a different timeline, a future day, could or be any of them? Any of his beloved family robbed of freedoms. Having seen @Cassandra grow up so it made the sting more real, the pain visceral. None of this was promised or assured... She described herself as someone to be sold to the highest bidder, for sale... His bother and evident discomfort, anger, it grew. The vulnerable Aquila felt for Pyra's fate, he could still hear her voice in his ear and the longing she had to not be chained. Her day dreams of freedom should be a guarantee.

He shook his head, trying to snap back to reality. Have you heard of such a thing?_{ART — CODE}

Her uncle @Aquila would not waste time in telling her why he'd come looking for her, and would spit it out immediately. A lioness younger than herself, being sold like a piece of meat?? Her own face distorted into anger at her uncle's words. If the bastard who had stolen the Brook from her family had had his way... would her family have ended up in a similar situation? Would her mother and siblings be turned into nothing more than playthings for that bastard, or sold to the highest bidder??

A slight growl of annoyance left the Queen at the mere thought of her own daughters being sucked into that sort of situation. "I hadn't - not until you said something to me now. Did this young woman tell you who was selling her? Because whoever is doing that... needs to be stopped as soon as possible." Cassandra said, her tail lashing in anger as she spoke. In her mind, this injustice would not stand and she would do what she could to help those in this predicament. "Were the others like her that are also stuck in this situation that you know of?" She asked, her gaze snapping to the lands outside of the Brook.

text. "speech."

Art by flea | Table code by Zodiac

I didn't learn much. I didn't want to press. Anger came easy to Aquila, but often he found he had the correct target right in front of his face. Below his nose, easily on hand to recieve the vitriol, the tooth and the claw. That hadn't been the case here and it made the sitution more difficult, less to Aquila's strengths when he did not want to be a bully to a young woman, a girl, who didn't deserve it. Please, let me know if you hear anything. Her name is Pyracantha- if you should meet her. He felt a wave of disappointment, any hopes of Cassandra knowing more were dashed and besides turning his young niece to potentitally help there wasn't much that could be done.

He looked soft then all of a sudden, the tension and anger faded and Aquila looked... small. She could have been my kid Cass... god. It's got me worried about all of our family that have moved out of Amaryllis, wondering if they're ok or not.

@Cassandra

_{ART — CODE}

Her uncle @Aquila's reasoning for not finding out if there were others trapped in a similar situation was a sound one. But if there truly were others caught in this vile system, she would do whatever she could to put an end to it. "If I hear even an inkling of anything about something related to this, I will let you know. If it is something we need to put an end to, I will help you do so. No one should be sold to the highest bidder like they're just something to own." Her tone revealed her disgust at even knowing this information.

The softer expression that took over her uncle, however, made her heart ache for her uncle. "Our family is smart and strong - I doubt they'd allow themselves to get caught up in something like that. The Valour are strong and capable, and I feel like they'd find their way back here if something like this was attempted on them." Cassandra said, aiming to press her head against her uncle's if he'd allow her to. She understood his concerns, but she also knew the Valour were strong of mind and strong of heart. They would not allow themselves to be sucked into something like this - voluntarily or not.

text. "speech."

Art by flea | Table code by Zodiac